Indy's Skenes breaks down his wicked arsenal
INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul Skenes was a national champion at LSU. He became a No. 1 overall pick with the Pirates in 2023. He’s been the Minors’ most dominant pitcher at Triple-A Indianapolis to begin 2024. And in many ways, he still thinks like that catcher calling pitches for Air Force
Jones lowers hands, raises potential
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. – Spencer Jones spent a good chunk of his offseason working out with and talking to pitchers, particularly his fellow Vanderbilt alums in Nashville. One night, he chatted with good friend and former Commodores teammate Jack Leiter over dinner, and he got a little jealous. “He said, ‘Man,
Padres' De Vries heading to Lake Elsinore
The Padres signed the top prospect of his international class. They brought him over stateside in his first professional spring, and his Minor League debut will come at a full-season level. Sound familiar?
Stellar Skenes fans 8, extends scoreless streak
INDIANAPOLIS -- Thursday night brought another Paul Skenes start, and that meant more triple-digit heat, more strikeouts, more zeros in the runs column … and another relatively abbreviated outing for the top pitching prospect in baseball. In his fourth outing of the young season, MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect
Don't sleep on these loaded MiLB teams
Following last Friday’s second Opening Day, all four full-season levels of Minor League Baseball are officially playing their 2024 regular seasons. That has given us a few days to take in and digest rosters across Triple-A, Double-A, High-A and Single-A to determine the best of the best. Some are loaded
First-round pick Teel showing traits of Boston great
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It’s impossible to avoid ruminating on the parallels. Two former All-ACC first-team catchers. Two 14th overall picks. Two players who reached Double-A in their first tastes of the Minor Leagues. One is just getting his career started with the Red Sox. The other won two World
Must-see matchups we'll see at Spring Breakout
Some of the best Spring Training matchups don’t come in the Cactus or Grapefruit League. They’re on the backfields, where prospects square off away from the bright lights and sharpen their tools against each other as they work to be the future stars of the game. This year, Spring Breakout
Everything to know about Spring Breakout
One of the great joys of the annual All-Star Futures Game is the chance to put some of the game’s top prospects on one field in the middle of the summer and let them show off the tools that make them the future of baseball. But what if instead of
This season's most improved farm systems
We talk about breakout prospects all the time, like Ethan Salas going from being a 16-year-old new signee to a Double-A player in just a few months or Junior Caminero starting the season outside the Top 100 and ending it at No. 6 (and likely higher by the time of
Spring Breakout! Prospect showcase to debut in March
For those looking to check in on prospects each spring, you’re typically best served heading to the backfields of the Spring Training facilities across Arizona and Florida or sticking around for the latter innings of Cactus and Grapefruit League games for a few stray pitches or at-bats. But what if
Penrod's amazing story continues in Fall League
MESA, Ariz. -- Zach Penrod's story is one of the best of this year's Arizona Fall League. It added another chapter Monday night. The Red Sox left-hander struck out five and scattered one hit and two walks over four scoreless innings in Glendale's 2-0 win over Mesa at Sloan Park.
That's 20-20 vision! Minors set record in 2023
The decade of the 2020s is turning out to be the decade of the 20/20s. Thirty-three Minor League players met or exceeded the 20-homer, 20-steal plateau during the 2023 season, beating out the previous record (since data first became available in 1958) total of 27 set just last year. Most
Who will be MiLB Hitting Prospect of the Year?
The nominations continue. Last week, we announced the three finalists for the MiLB Pitching Prospect of the Year. Now, it’s time to turn our attention to the batters, with three Hitting Prospect of the Year candidates. These finalists were determined by MLB Pipeline staff, which considered many worthy performers from
Auer's 2-run tater sends Biscuits back to playoffs
BILOXI, Miss. -- Mason Auer knows a thing or two about playing for a Minor League championship. He helped lead High-A Bowling Green to a 2022 South Atlantic League title and deserves credit for his contributions to Carolina League champ Single-A Charleston in the first half of the same campaign.
Unhittable Suarez nabs spotlight in Bingo debut
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Thursday’s Double-A Binghamton-Harrisburg game was meant to be a showcase for bats. Six Top 100 prospects were split evenly between hosts Binghamton (Luisangel Acuña, Drew Gilbert, Kevin Parada) and visitors Harrisburg (Dylan Crews, James Wood, Brady House), and each of the half-dozen plied their trades at the
Future shines bright at Appy League All-Star Game
KINGSPORT, Tenn. -- The 2021 Appalachian League All-Star Game ended with a home run derby, and the 2022 edition concluded with a walk-off single in the 10th. The latest version of the wood-bat collegiate circuit’s midsummer classic was a less powerful, but equally exciting contest. The West took home a
Clubs search for hidden gems on Day 3
With the first two days of the 2023 MLB Draft already completed, the most-hyped names were already off the board. But there's always game-changing talent available throughout the Draft, which concluded on Tuesday with Rounds 11-20. Five of this year’s All-Stars were taken and signed in the 10th round or
Legacy picks, late-round steals headline Day 2
Even after the first 70 picks came off the board in an exciting Day 1 of the 2023 MLB Draft, there was still tons of talent available for Day 2, which covered Rounds 3-10. Below are some of Monday's most notable picks, including sons of former MLB stars, some serious
WooSox show off their Ruby Legs for a day
Alternate identities are all the rage in Minor League Baseball. Last Sunday, the Worcester Red Sox raised the concept to a new level with an alternate identity based on a team that played locally in the 1800s. Boston's Triple-A affiliate took the field at Polar Park as the Ruby Legs,
The Show Before The Show: Episode 404
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Stitcher and other
Apple of Mets' eye: Aikman had pro potential
AMARILLO, Texas – On Thursday, Troy Aikman had a Draft story to tell. No, not that Draft. At Amarillo’s HODGETOWN to throw out a first pitch, help out behind the bar and promote his EIGHT beer line on Thursday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback reminisced about the time
Lawlar of the land: It's never too late to rally
AMARILLO, Texas – No lead is safe in HODGETOWN, a hitters' haven where ERAs and slugging percentages increase in identical measure. But this is ridiculous. After trailing, 11-1, entering the bottom of the seventh inning, top D-backs prospect Jordan Lawlar hit a three-run homer as part of a seven-run eighth
Gajownik shares road to Hillsboro dugout
Last Friday, Ronnie Gajownik made baseball history when the D-backs announced her as the new Hillsboro manager for the 2023 season. That made Gajownik the first-ever woman skipper in the history of the High-A level and the second ever at any spot in the Minors after Tampa’s Rachel Balkovec took
Bradley, Manzardo shine brightest for Rays
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each organization and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in each farm system. Next up in our 2022 Organization All-Stars series are the Tampa Bay Rays. 2022 Organization Summary Triple-A Durham: 86-64
Chourio, Frelick bring cheers to Brewers
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each organization and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in each farm system. Next up in our 2022 Organization All-Stars series are the Milwaukee Brewers. 2022 Organization Summary Triple-A Nashville: 91-58 (division